“Do not think that I came to bring peace on earth. I did not come to bring peace but a sword. For I have come to ‘set a man against his father, a daughter against her mother, and a daughter-in-law against her mother-in-law’; and ‘a man’s enemies will be those of his own household.’ He who loves father or mother more than Me is not worthy of Me. And he who loves son or daughter more than Me is not worthy of Me. And he who does not take his cross and follow after Me is not worthy of Me. He who finds his life will lose it, and he who loses his life for My sake will find it.

“He who receives you receives Me, and he who receives Me receives Him who sent Me. He who receives a prophet in the name of a prophet shall receive a prophet’s reward. And he who receives a righteous man in the name of a righteous man shall receive a righteous man’s reward. And whoever gives one of these little ones only a cup of cold water in the name of a disciple, assuredly, I say to you, he shall by no means lose his reward.” (Matthew 10:34-42)

The angels declared, “peace on earth, goodwill toward men” and their words are repeated endlessly during the Christmas season. But Jesus also affirmed that he did not come to bring peace on earth. Instead, he came to bring war.

Jesus divides people. He breaks up families and friends. Followers of Jesus have suffered persecution, even death. Jesus’ demands are paradoxical: if you love your parents more than Jesus, then you’re not worthy of Jesus. If you don’t march off to your own execution every day, you’re not worthy of Jesus. If you find your life, you’ll lose it, but if you lose it for Jesus, then you’ll find it.

It sounds very extreme in a comfortable society that tolerates and even encourages Christian commitment. But in some parts of the world, what Jesus said remains literally relevant. In some parts of the world, if you decide to become a Christian, you’re deciding to be cut off from your family, to have your husband or wife divorce you, to lose your friends, and to quite possibly lose your life. In a comfortable, tolerant, western civilization, we don’t have to make such choices. But the question Jesus asked remains relevant even for us: what is our priority? What matters most to us? How far will we go for Jesus? We still must decide.

Send to Kindle